An Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) is a smart card which can be used as a module for authentication of a user as inserted in a terminal. The UICC may store personal information of a user and operator information about a Mobile Network Operation (MNO) which the user subscribes to. For example, the UICC may include an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) identifying the user. Also, the UICC may be referred to as a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card for Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), or a Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) card for a Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA).
When a user inserts a UICC into a terminal of the user, authentication of the user can be automatically performed by using the information stored in the UICC so that the user can conveniently use the terminal. Also, when a user desires to substitute an old terminal with a new terminal, the user can easily substitute the old terminal with the new terminal by inserting a UICC removed from the old terminal into the new terminal.
When terminals which are required to be miniaturized, for example, terminals for Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communications, are manufactured as having a structure for removable UICC, it becomes difficult to miniaturize the terminals. Therefore, an embedded UICC (eUICC), a non-removable UICC has been proposed. Information about a user using the eUICC is stored in the UICC in a form of IMSI.
Since a conventional UICC is implemented as a removable card, a user can open a terminal without a limit to types of terminals or MNOs. However, an IMSI in the eUICC of a terminal can be assigned when the terminal is used only for a specific mobile network operator designated in the manufacturing step of the terminal. Thus, an MNO placing an order for terminals and a manufacturer of the terminals should consider a stock inventory of manufactured terminals, and which becomes a reason of increasing sale prices of terminals. Also, users have inconveniency in changing a mobile network operator to which they subscribe to. Therefore, demanded is a method of opening a terminal by a user without regard to a mobile network operator of his terminal.
On the other hand, according to the recent introduction of the eUICC, it becomes necessary to update information about subscribers of various mobile network operators in a UICC remotely. Accordingly, a Subscription Manager (SM) or a Profile Manager (PM) for management of information about subscribers is being discussed.
As described above, as opposed to the conventional removable SIM, an embedded UICC (hereinafter, referred to as ‘eSIM’ or ‘eUICC’) has many issues such as an authority of opening, an initiative on value-added services, security of subscriber information, etc. due to differences of its physical structure. For these, international standardization organizations such as a GSMA and a European Telecommunication Standards Institute (ETSI) are performing standardization on necessary elements including top structures by interworking with related entities such as operators, manufacturers, SIM vendors, etc.
As described above, a subscription manager (SM) is being focused upon in the standardization organizations as a main issue of the standardization on the eUICC. The SM means an entity or a function/role of performing overall managements on the eUICC such as issuing profiles (‘Operator Credentials’, ‘Profile’), and processing a procedure of subscription change, etc.
However, a method of providing and utilizing management information such as types of profiles, profile identification information, a profile list, etc., which is loaded in the eUICC and essential for providing communication and value-added services, does not exist.